Download Practice in IDing Variables

Unit 2: History and Approaches
(2-4% AP Exam)
&
Research Methods
(8-10% AP Exam)
Textbook: Chapter 1, Chapter 2
Overview: Psychology has evolved markedly since its inception as a discipline in 1879. There have been
significant changes in the theories that psychologists use to explain behavior and mental processes. In
addition, the methodology of psychological research has expanded to include a diversity of approaches to
data gathering.
AP Learning Objectives:
● Recognize how philosophical perspectives shaped the development of psychological thought.
● Describe and compare different theoretical approaches in explaining behavior:
— structuralism, functionalism, and behaviorism in the early years;
— Gestalt, psychoanalytic/psychodynamic, and humanism emerging later;
— evolutionary, biological, cognitive and biopsychosocial as more contemporary approaches.
● Recognize the strengths and limitations of applying theories to explain behavior.
● Distinguish the different domains of psychology:
— biological, clinical, cognitive, counseling, developmental, educational, experimental, human factors,
industrial–organizational, personality, psychometric, and social.
● Identify the major historical figures in psychology (e.g., Mary Whiton Calkins, Charles Darwin,
Dorothea Dix, Sigmund Freud, G. Stanley Hall, William James, Ivan Pavlov, Jean Piaget, Carl Rogers, B. F.
Skinner, Margaret Floy Washburn, John B. Watson, Wilhelm Wundt).
Overview: Psychology is an empirical discipline. Psychologists develop knowledge by doing research.
Research provides guidance for psychologists who develop theories to explain behavior and who apply
theories to solve problems in behavior.
AP Learning Objectives:
● Differentiate types of research (e.g., experiments, correlational studies, survey research, naturalistic
observations, and case studies) with regard to purpose, strengths, and weaknesses.
● Describe how research design drives the reasonable conclusions that can be drawn (e.g., experiments
are useful for determining cause and effect; the use of experimental controls reduces alternative
explanations).
● Identify independent, dependent, confounding, and control variables in experimental designs.
● Distinguish between random assignment of participants to conditions in experiments and random
selection of participants, primarily in correlational studies and surveys.
● Predict the validity of behavioral explanations based on the quality of research design (e.g.,
confounding variables limit confidence in research conclusions).
● Distinguish the purposes of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics.
● Apply basic descriptive statistical concepts, including interpreting and constructing graphs and
calculating simple descriptive statistics (e.g., measures of central tendency, standard deviation).
● Discuss the value of reliance on operational definitions and measurement in behavioral research.
● Identify how ethical issues inform and constrain research practices.
● Describe how ethical and legal guidelines (e.g., those provided by the American Psychological
Association, federal regulations, local institutional review boards) protect research participants and
promote sound ethical practice.
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Structuralism
Introspection
Functionalism
Psychoanalysis
Gestalt psychology
Behaviorism
Humanistic psychology
Nature-nurture issue
Natural selection
Biopsychosocial approach
Biological psychology (neuroscience)
Evolutionary psychology
Psychodynamic psychology
Behavioral psychology
Cognitive psychology
Social-cultural psychology
Basic research
Applied research
Counseling psychology
Clinical psychology
Psychiatry
Hindsight bias
Critical thinking
Theory
Hypothesis
Operational definition
Replication
Case study
Survey
Population
Representative sample
Random sample
Social desirability bias
Naturalistic observation
Correlation
Correlation coefficient
Scatterplot
Illusory correlation
Experiment
Experimental group
Control group
Random assignment
Independent variable
Dependent variable
Confounding (extraneous) variables
Single-blind procedure
Double-blind procedure
Placebo
Placebo effect
Descriptive statistics
Measure of central tendency
Mean
Median
Mode
Measure of variability
Range
Standard deviation
Z scores
Normal distribution
Skewed distributions
Inferential statistics
Statistical significance
Null hypothesis
Informed consent
Confidentiality
Debriefing
Key People:
Mary Whiton Calkins
Charles Darwin
Dorothea Dix
Sigmund Freud
G. Stanley Hall
William James
Abraham Maslow
Ivan Pavlov
Jean Piaget
Carl Rogers
B.F. Skinner
Margaret Floy Washburn
John B. Watson
Max Wertheimer
Wilhelm Wundt